Day 14: Bulgarian Research/Survey Vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii, Facts and Figures

The Bulgarian naval research/survey vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii (NAVAL RSV 421) is on her historic first voyage to Livingston Island in the South Shetlands in support of the 31st Bulgarian Antarctic Expedition. On the 14th day of its voyage, the vessel is at anchor in a bay off the Spanish city of Almeria, waiting for better weather conditions in order to pass through the Strait of Gibraltar. NAVAL RSV 421 is expected to reach her destination in some 40 days. She sailed off from Varna on the Black Sea on December 27, 2022.

The Bulgarian military research/survey vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii was built as a supply ship by Simek AS in Flekkefjord, Norway, in 1984. Its first registered owner was Farstad Supply. It was named Stad Sleipner until January 1990, when it was renamed Far Sleipner.

Later on, it was acquired by Subsea Survey Solutions of Moscow, Russia, and was renamed Iskatel in June 2011, with Murmansk as its home port. The vessel was converted into a subsea survey ship for the construction of the South Stream pipeline. It was docked in the Port of Varna for years. When the project was cancelled, the Russian owner sold the vessel to a consortium consisting of the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy, the St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia and the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute for BGN 1.2 million in a public procurement procedure launched in February 2021. The ship was repaired at a cost of some BGN 4.5 million.

The Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii was christened by Bulgarian Oscar-nominated actress Maria Bakalova at a ceremony in Varna (on the Black Sea) on July 27, 2021, when it was commissioned into the Bulgarian Navy inventory.

The ship (NAVAL RSV 421, call sign: LZBQ) has a gross tonnage of 2,194 tons, a summer deadweight of 1,103 tonnes, and a draught of 4.5 metres. Its overall length is 67.48 metres, and its extreme breadth is 16.82 metres. It is currently the largest Bulgarian Navy ship and is registered at the NATO Support and Procurement Agency.

BTA's Daily News editor Konstantin Karagyozov is the only member of the media who is travelling on board the ship to Livingston Island and back, and will cover the Bulgarian expedition on site throughout the stay in Antarctica.

All media outlets can use the Bulgaria-Antarctica BTA's Log for free.